Lost a Lover
by ZebbieCullen
Summary: Carson and Cadman are injured in a cave in. BeckettCadman. Warning: Character death


**A/N:** I do not own Stargate Atlantis and all mistakes are mine. Enjoy, and please review.

Warnings: Character Death.

Paring: Beckett/Cadman

Rating: T, just to be safe.

Summary: Carson and Cadman are both injured in a cave in.

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Laura Cadman blinked and tried to get her vision to focus. Ignoring the splitting pain in her head and the stabbing pain in her leg, she sat up and took in her surroundings, trying to remember where she was.

She looked around and saw that she was in a cave.

She remembered that she had gone off-world with Colonel Sheppard's team. They were exploring some local ruins when there had been a cave in.

It was all Rodney's fault, she realised. He had been the one who wanted to explore the cave for any ZPM's and he had been the one who assured them that it was perfectly safe. The rest of the team had tried to protest, but he was already inside the ruins.

The cave was dark and damp and smelt like there was a dead body somewhere near by. She prayed that wasn't the case. After all, how long had she been out for?

Once again ignoring the pain in her leg she shifted into a more comfortable position whilst trying to figure out what to do next. She quickly checked herself over for any other injuries, but didn't find any. She guessed that she had a broken leg and probably had a concussion.

"_Cadman? You there?" _Colonel Sheppard's voice came through the radio. She had to feel around for a few seconds before she found it.

"Yes sir," she said.

"_It's good to hear you voice, Lieutenant. Are you and Carson OK?"_

Panic struck through her like a bolt of lightning and she felt like someone had punched her in the gut. "Carson? I thought he was with you," she knew her voice was shaking slightly, but she didn't care. If anything happened to Carson, she would kill Rodney for making them go in the caves.

"_We thought he was with you," _she heard him sigh. _"OK, try and find him if you can. I've called in Major Lorne's team. We're going to try and dig you out. Are you hurt?"_

Laura considered telling him about her injuries, but then decided that finding Carson was more important. "No sir. Did the others make it out?"

"_That's good to hear. Everybody's fine, they made it out in time. Find Carson if you can, I'll get back to you. Good luck."_

"Thank you sir," Laura took a few deep breaths to try and suppress the nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She shifted positions again and tried to stand up. She had to find Carson, that much she knew.

As soon as she was on her feet, the room started to spin. She put a hand on the wall to steady herself and, ignoring the furious protests of her leg, limped forward. She got a small flashlight out of her tactical vest and shone it around the cave. There were pieces of rock and debris lying on the ground, but she was able to maneuver her way around them. As she went further and further into the cave she began to get more and more worried that she hadn't heard anything from the good doctor.

Laura stopped and leant against the wall to catch her breath. She shone the flashlight's beam above her and briefly wondered if there would be another cave in.

The thought quickly left her head when she saw Carson's medical kit lying across the room. She scurried over to it and saw him lying meters away.

She froze when she felt something wet underneath her hand, she shone the flashlight in front of her and saw that Carson was lying in a pool of fresh blood. He was pale and had a piece of debris sticking out of his chest.

"Oh my God," she gasped and took his hand in hers and with her other hand felt for a pulse. She let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding when she found one. It was weak, but it was there. He was still alive. "Carson, sweetie, can you hear me?"

Carson's icy blue eyes slowly fluttered open. "L-Laura?"

She squeezed his hand gently. "I'm here."

"What-what happened?"

Laura brushed back a couple of stray locks of hair out of his face. "There was a cave in. We're trapped, helps on the way. Don't worry, your gonna be fine," she said, kissing the back of his hand.

Carson smiled slightly at the familiar sensation. "Are you alright? Your not hurt, are you?" he asked, his doctor-mode switching itself on.

Her eyes started to slowly fill with tears. Even when he was hurt, he still put others before himself. It was one of the many, many things that Laura loved about him. "I'm fine," she lied.

His breathing was shallow and he was becoming more and more pale by the second. He was in so much pain, and there wasn't a damn thing Laura could do about it. She knew that nothing in his medical kit could help him now and there was no way that Colonel Sheppard and his team would make it on time. They were on their own.

"Don't worry, we'll be home in no time. I promise," she assured him.

Carson gave her another small smile. He could feel the energy leaving his body, he knew he didn't have much time left. Laura knew it to. His breathing was laboured and he'd lost so much blood, but she refused to accept the fact that her Carson might not make it back to Atlantis.

They sat there for a few minuets. Laura holding his hand and stroking his hair, Carson gripping her hand and concentrating on his breathing.

"Next time you go back to Earth, could you tell my family what happened to me?" he asked, stroking a thumb over Laura's knuckles.

"Don't talk like that, babe," she ordered, trying to keep the tears from overwhelming her. She had to stay strong, for Carson and for herself. In the end, hope was all she had.

Carson closed his eyes and kissed the hand that was now on his cheek, caressing him. Breathing was becoming incredibly painful and hard. "I love you, Laura," he whispered.

Laura shook her head slightly. "Carson, baby, please, hold on," she begged.

But it was too late. Carson had stopped breathing and she let the tears fall freely.


End file.
